Observing Nature: Normania

Normania

Scientific name: ‘Normania nava’

Family: ‘Solanaceae’

Genus: Normania

Endemic to: Zona de monteverde, Gran Canaria

Other locations: Tenerife

Description: Plant species considered in danger of extinction in the National Catalogue of Species under Threat and in need of a recovery plan. Endemic to the Canaries Islands, there are two known population centres, one on the island of Tenerife, within the Anaga Country Park, and the other in Gran Canaria. Nevertheless, it is believed that both have since disappeared. It is a very rare green-forest species given that it was first described by Webb & Berthelot in 1845 but was not found again in the wild until the 1970’s. It is a shrub with sticky leaves and violet flowers that have an otherwise practically unknown biological form. It is known that the species prefers sunny environments within its potential habitat. The species forms part of the dense thicket of the green laurel forest. The most recent findings have been made in clearings in the woods, near or at the foot of cliffs, at an altitude of between 500 and 700 metres. It is thought that the progressive disappearance of the laurel forests on both islands is the reason for its disappearance today.